updated TV console

One of my first posts on this blog was a dresser I refinished and turned into a TV console. You can see that post here. This is what it looked like when I was finished:

More recently I showed this wall with the shelf added above the TV:

The handles I used had kind of a bronze look that you could see up close:

But as you can see in the pictures above, they just looked black from a distance. I had been thinking for awhile about painting them and finally went for it a few weeks ago.

   

Now they are Krylon Caramel Latte:

It's kind of a metallic beige and I love it!

 

It took about an hour to take the handles off, spray paint them, and put them back on. I already had the paint, so it was a quick, free project and I absolutely love the result!

It's always amazing what a little bit of paint can do! 

It's a small change that makes a big difference in the room. When I'm sitting on the couch watching TV (like Jimmy Fallon here :) ), I sometimes get a little bit distracted by how much I love this dresser. I still can't believe I only paid $20 for it!

This isn't the first time you've seen Krylon Caramel Latte on this blog, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I used it on the handles of my free desk too! 

I haven't been able to jump on the return-of-brass bandwagon, and this is the perfect color for me. It's slightly gold, but not at all brassy. If you're like me and feel like you just finished getting rid of all the brass in your life just in time for it to come back, give this color a try!

water color gallery wall

Have you heard of Waterlogue? It's been all over the blog world recently so you probably have, but if not, you really need to check it out! It's an app that turns any picture into a water color, and I'm kind of obsessed with it. For $2.99 plus the cost of printing, you get a personal piece of art!

I used Waterlogue and the Shutterfly app to create this wall in my living room:

These are all pictures I've taken on various trips. Kauai, Cancun, Paris, London, Ireland, and Venice are all represented. I love that I took each of them, and now they're such a cool part of  my living room. This wall is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door, and it makes me so happy every time I see it.

For the past 7 years, that wall has looked like this:

I liked the mirror and sconces, but it was time for a change.

I love the bright white frames and the addition of more color in the room. I'm trying to get away from having a specific color for each room (it was purple in this one, and I'm slowly getting away from every accessory being purple), and this has made a big difference.

I ordered 4x4 prints from Shutterfly for $.15 each, and these frames were $1 each at Michaels!

They're the unfinished ones that you can paint however you want. I spray painted mine white, but you could do any color, or a variety of colors, to coordinate with your home.

I love how the white frames make the colors in the pictures really stand out. This church in Ireland is one of my favorites!

This is my very favorite of all the pictures I've used Waterlogue on though.

It's a beach in Kauai, and I love everything about the way it looks as a water color. So I ordered an 8x10 print of this one, and (for now) it's sitting on the table next to the couch.

If you haven't tried Waterlogue yet, what are you waiting for?! It's so fun to see your pictures transform into water colors, and I love using pictures I've taken in my travels to create amazing and unique decor in my home. It's the only app I've ever paid for, and it's so worth it. I'm so excited about this new wall!

I've made a few other changes in my living room lately as the weather has started to warm up. I'm not sure I love this mantel, but what I do love about it is the addition of the flowers and grass in the vase (from Kauai!):

I've never been a big fan of fake plants before because I always thought they looked too...well, fake. You really can find some that are pretty real looking now though, and I'm loving the feeling of bringing nature and spring inside (I also love Ellen :) ).

This is what that wall looked like last spring:

The mantel decor is more simple now, and in December I added the shelf above the TV. It's a beautiful slab of wood with the bark still on the edges, and I just sealed it with polyurethane to keep the natural look.

Between the mantel, the shelf, and the vase next to the TV, I've added a lot of green plants and it gives the room such a happy, springy feeling. 

I've got one other change in this room coming up soon! It involves the mirror that used to be above the couch...